China Grill

Our 12:30 reservation for 6 landed us a decent table in the front area of the restaurant.  I haven't been to China Grill in almost a year so I was excited to try some of my old favorites.  The shared plate style of China Grill can be a little restrictive at times, but luckily we had enough people to maximize our selections.  A table of 5 or more can order 2 appetizers, 3 entrees and 2 desserts.

Our appetizers started arriving soon after we ordered them.  The thing about China Grill and many other shared plate restaurants is that they tend to bring dishes out from the kitchen as their ready rather than holding a dish until the others are ready.

The first arrival was one that I could not sample.  Spicy Beef & Scallion Dumplings.

The other diners at the table were quite pleased.  A few confirmed that the dish was in fact spicy.  It certainly presented well.  If only it were poultry or seafood, I could confirm its deliciousness for you.

Just as I was starting to wonder if the other appetizer would arrive, our Crackling Calamari Salad arrived.

The lettuce was a little bitter but the lime miso dressing and the delicious calamari helped counter some of the bitterness. 

A short while later, our entrees made their appearance.  First up, the Sweet Soy Marinated Skirt Steak.  The wok sautéed lo mein noodles were very tempting but since it had lived with the steak, I had to pass.

I believe this may have been the favorite dish at our table.  Everyone who ate it was extremely satisfied.  I was excited when our BBQ Salmon arrived.

Chinese mustard sauce and stir fried greens. Yum!  The Salmon was served medium and was a little crispy on top.  The mustard sauce complemented the juicy salmon very well.  I wasn’t a big fan of the greens but that’s probably because I had too much green when I ate the salad.

Next up the Sake Marinated “Drunken” Chicken.  The chicken was served with ponzu sauce, sweet crispy onions & Asian slaw. 

The plate was extremely hot so I had to wait a few minutes before someone could pass the plate over to me.  The chicken was tender and juicy. 

We also ordered Miso Grilled Vegetables and Udon Noodles.

It was amazing!  The sweet hoisin and mushroom sauce was incredible.  It’s a sweet dark sauce that tasted great.  Initially, I wasn’t that excited about the noodles.  That’s because I wanted the China Grill noodle of the day.  The waiter told me it was lo mein noodles with shrimp and mixed vegetables in a spicy sauce.  I was thrilled at the prospect.  But then he came back and told me they didn’t have it.  BUMMER!  Guess I know what I’m making this week!

After feasting on our delightful entrees, we still had dessert.

Look at that display! The cake is actually Hazelnut Chocolate Torte with a blackberry & orange crème anglaise sauce.  The Homemade Ice Cream and Sorbet was served on individual cookies.  I don’t recall all the flavors but there was a chocolate cookie and peanut butter.  The ice cream and sorbet included guava, banana and chocolate.

As always, China Grill was an amazing culinary experience.  The variety of flavors all complemented each other well.  The service was impeccable and thanks to Restaurant Week, the prices were somewhat reasonable.  I will likely return to China Grill sometime soon to try out the lunch box.  A great deal with fantastic options!

Hungry yet?